Literature Review #4

3.Breinig, Helmbrecht, Jürgen Gebhardt, and Berndt Ostendorf. German and American Higher Education: Educational Philosophies and Political Systems. Münster: Lit, 2001. Print.

2.. This book explains the German education system in comparison to the American system. The part that I read discusses the German system as one which a multi-tiered education system which is able to prevent too many students from going to college or following vocational education. In this manner the system is prepared for surges in students interested in pursuing higher education because it is able to create a sustainable number of graduates as to prevent the creation of an education bubble or a devalued degree. Additionally, education is free in Germany, thus preventing privatization and steep tuition prices from coming into being.
4, Although no particular sources was found cataloging Breinig's accomplishments. My searches revealed that he has been writing for a long time about the German education system and that he works for a university in Bavaria. He has also been writing about the American system and comparing it to Germany's since the early 80s.
5. multi-tiered- this means that the German system is divided based on academics which will result in the type of work that an individual will most likely be doing. This means that students are separated based on ability into vocational and collegiate tracks which allows students to become really well prepared for their future education/job. Students have state sponsored choices outside of college which can breed success for the individual and still make them a contributing part of the state.
national values-  these are the values which the German education system upholds as a result of national sentiment. This means that the system is a result of the community recognizing that this tracked system will ultimately create what is best for the nation.
6. "...resource scarcity have launched new initiatives in all industrialized countries. They agree on broad goals, but outcomes remain strongly influenced by national values and structures. " (Breinig 56)
"...federal government's continued influence through seed money and incentive-based grants." (Breinig 58) - how the gov. staying in control of higher education has kept rate down
"...emphasis on specialized apprenticeship-based vocational training (the dual system) contributes to the lower enrollment of students in the tertiary sector." (Breinig 60) - many tracks, prevents college overload
"Higher education institutions not only provide individual benefits to students but are crucial for regional ecnoomic development" (Breinig 61) education is good for the community
7. This will be used to show the power of an imagined community. It will also highlight a method that the USA may utilize in order to solve this educational bubble before it bursts. This system creates sustainability instead of short-term-minded individuals.